How much should i give to charity?

I came to Microhive because I truly believe that everyone wants to give to charity, and I wanted to create a platform that increased the value of microdonations.

Something I’ve found out recently is that for some people, not knowing how much to give, can prevent them from giving at all. What? Just telling people to give as much as they can, is not really very helpful, so in this blog I have gathered advice as to how we can help people to make this decision.

First of all, it’s important to acknowledge that its ok not to be giving to charity. Your financial position might be dire (you might be being supported by a charity), you might be saving money to make a future donation, or you could be supporting charities in other ways like volunteering or food donations.

If you are thinking about giving, how could you come up with the ‘correct’ amount – let’s look at some approaches others have taken:

How much money should we donate to charity?

Give what you don’t need:

This idea has been formalised by Oxford philosopher Toby Ord. In 2009, Toby felt that he had a true moral obligation to give what he didn’t need. He knew that a significant portion of his income could be so much more valuable to others than it would be to himself, so he set himself a living allowance and then gave everything that he earned above that level away. Toby later founded the Giving What We Can community, and after more than a decade, he is still giving.

Give generously:

If you were born in a high-income country, it is likely that your income is at least 10 times that of the average person and roughly 100 times that of someone living in extreme poverty. Philosopher William MacAskill calls this the “100x multiplier” in his book, Doing Good Better.

“Imagine a happy hour where you could either buy yourself a beer for five dollars or buy someone else a beer for five cents. If that were the case, we’d probably be pretty generous — next round’s on me!”

This realisation has led many people to choose to be generous with their relative wealth — whether they see this as an obligation to share their luck, or as an incredible opportunity to make a difference.

Give at an average level:

If you care about helping others but don’t want to give more than average, you could aim to give what an average person gives. According to the CAF UK Giving Report, the typical donation is £20.

Give what you won’t miss:

At the very least you could give what you wouldn’t miss. This is the idea behind One for the World 1% pledge which encourages people starting out in their careers to give at least 1% of their income. Would you notice a difference if you were to live off only 99% of your income, rather than 100% of it.

Micro-give:

The act of donating small amounts to charity, is a powerful tool for individuals to support charities and communities. Everyone gives less than £1 and whilst the contributions may seem modest on their own, collectively, they make a significant impact. Most people can afford to join in which means it’s a great entry point for peoples charitable giving story.

Microhive is one such fundraising platform whose mission is to champion the collective power of giving pennies, not pounds. To date it has raised £8m by employers inviting their employees, pensioners and suppliers to donate small amounts to charity on a regular basis.

Providing a way to give small amounts is important for people to access. In 2020, a worldwide survey called the ‘Global Trends in Giving Report’ was released by funraise to examine and dissect all the reasons people give (or don’t) to charity. The survey attracted 15,285 respondents of whom 1,817 shared that they hadn’t given money to charity for a year or more.

The most common reason not to give (42% of those surveyed) was because of financial resources, which is a significant barrier to charitable giving. The bigger gifts are harder to give but penny donations enable people to still feel like they are helping society.

How to give:

If you can give something, your time, things you don’t need or a donation, no matter how small, then give. Aside from the fact that you are helping to improve society, perhaps paying forward, giving makes us feel happy. A 2008 study by Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton and colleagues found that giving money to someone else lifted participants’ happiness more that spending it on themselves (despite participants’ prediction that spending on themselves would make them happier).

Give regularly:

Regular giving, no matter how small provides charities with predictable revenue – they know the donations will be coming in. This takes away pressures to spend money on fundraising, lowering the charities costs. Giving habitually also means you are more likely to continue supporting charities, less likely to skip donations, and you can budget your giving much better.

Give publicly:

An easy way to multiply your impact is to influence others through social proof. This is the well-established psychological phenomenon that people tend to do what they see others doing. If you find a fundraising platform or charity that you really like, then tell your friends and colleagues. Even if one extra person copies you and starts donating, you have doubled the impact of your donations.

Final thoughts:

If you’re ready to make a difference, remember that the amount you give isn’t as important as the act itself. By giving what you can—even if it’s just spare change—you’re joining others in building a powerful force for good. Microhive is built on this belief, showing that when many people give even a little, the results can be monumental. So let’s focus less on how much is “right” and more on getting involved. The journey begins with a single act, and it can lead to a lifetime of positive impact.

Sources:

‘How much money should we donate to charity?’ Luke Freeman. 28 May 2021. https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/